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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. capital — money
  7. mate — to breed
  8. capital — a city
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bass — low music
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. object — to protest
  15. bass — the fish
  16. object — an aim
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mate — a friend
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mate — a partner
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. object — a thing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com